Japan to launch new intelligence unit focussed on Islamic militants

TOKYO – A new Japanese Foreign Ministry unit will start collecting information on militant groups such as Islamic State in the countries they are based, the government said on Friday, prompted into action by last month’s attacks on Paris.

The unit, to work alongside other intelligence-gathering operations run by the foreign and defence ministries and the police, will be set up on Tuesday with a staff of about 20 with a similar number working overseas in Japanese embassies.